Turnip Jack-o-Lanters

Through this e-mail group I found links to Halloween sites which told
stories of the Jack-O-Lanter's origins.  Stories tell how the Irish used
turnips for lanters. When the Irish came to N. America they exchanged their
turnip lanterns to pumpkin lanterns.

Has anyone ever carved a turnip lantern - or know of one who has?

It seems to me that most store bought turnips would make miserably small
lanterns.  Even home/garden grown turnips would be real small. However,
turnips used to be grown as livestock fodder and these turnips were huge
compared to their table variety cousins.  Today, few if any grow turnips
for thier livestock. Perhaps the turnips grown for fodder where the ones
used for lanterns by the Irish instead of the table varieties.

A check of the "Garden Seed Inventory" shows only 29 different varieties of
turnips are sold today by North American seed companies.  This compares to
64 varieties offered in 1981.  And, none of the presently available
varieties seem to be the large fodder type turnips.

The 1997 Seed Savers Exchange Yearbook lists an additional 30 varieties of
turnips of which a number are fodder varieties sometimes called "cow
rutabagas."  Some are said to grow to basketball size.  Now that's big
enough to make a cool Jack-o-lantern

I know some on this list grow other vegies besides pumpkins. Might any be
growing one of these huge turnips?   If anyone on this list be interesting
in growing one of these vanishing varieties of large Jack-O-Lantern-type
turnips please e-mail me.

Michael
mcohill@neo.lrun.com
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